scholarly journals Age and growth of the shark, Mustelus higmani (Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) from Venezuela

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz Carrillo ◽  
Rafael Tavares ◽  
Leonardo Sánchez ◽  
Carmen Velásquez

Abstract. Introduction: Mustelus higmani is one of the shark species most commonly caught in the northeastern region of Venezuela; however, this species has been poorly studied. Objective: to evaluate the age and growth of M. higmani on the basis of the optical analysis of vertebrae. Methods: Between August 2016 and July 2017, the vertebral samples were collected in the fishing port of Juan Griego, Margarita Island. The growth study was based on a sample of 238 individuals, 86 males (24.1-59.5 cm TL) and 152 females (24.4-69.5 cm TL) and the use of growth modeling approaches. Results: The RMI analysis indicated an annual periodicity for the deposition of growth rings. Ages assigned varied between 0 and 5 years in males, and between 0 and 6 years in females. The estimates of growth parameters obtained were L∞ = 60.8 cm TL, k = 0.54 years-1 and t0 = -1.04 years in males; and L∞ = 72.4 cm TL, k = 0.40 years-1 and t0 = -1.31 years in females. The ages at maturity and longevities resulted respectively in 2.5 and 6.4 years for males; and in 2.0 and 8.7 years for females. Conclusions: In general, results indicate that M. higmani has a rapid growth, early maturity, short longevity, and continuous reproduction, characterizing it as a biologically productive species. Key words: Caribbean; ecology; elasmobranchs; fishery; sharks.

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marília Hauser ◽  
Carolina R. C. Doria ◽  
Larissa R. C. Melo ◽  
Ariel R. Santos ◽  
Daiana M. Ayala ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The goliath catfish Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii has crucial economical and ecological functions in the Amazon basin. Although its life history characteristics have been studied in the Amazon, there is little information in the Madeira River basin, which holds genetically distinct populations and where dams were recently built. Using fish collected in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, this study provides a validation of growth rings deposition and details the growth patterns of B. rousseauxii in the Madeira before the dams’ construction. Age structure and growth parameters were determined from 497 otolith readings. The species exhibits two growth rings per year and sampled fish were between 0 and 16 years old. In the Brazilian portion of the basin, mainly young individuals below 5 years old were found, whereas older fish (> 5 years) were caught only in the Bolivian and Peruvian stretches, indicating that after migrating upstream to reproduce, adults remain in the headwaters of the Madeira River. Comparing with previous publications, B. rousseauxii had a slower growth and 20 cm lower maximum standard length in the Madeira River than in the Amazon River. This study provides a baseline for future evaluation of changes in population dynamics of the species following dams closure.


2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talitha M. Francisco ◽  
Angela Maria Ambrósio ◽  
Thiago José Balbi ◽  
Marina S. Zuliani ◽  
Edson K. Okada ◽  
...  

Age and growth parameters of cachara Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889) (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae) (males and females) were estimated through the analysis of growth rings in spines of pectoral fins. Fish were collected from January to December 2007, in the area directly influenced by the Aproveitamento Múltiplo de Manso (APM Manso) and in the Cuiabá River (upper parts of the Pantanal). The maximum number of growth rings was seven for males, and eight, for females. The analysis of temporal variations in mean marginal increment showed that rings found in the spines were formed annually, in December. Growth rings were associated to spawning (in the study region from November to March) of the species. The growth curve in length was obtained by the von Bertalanffy model adjusted by the Ford-Walford transformation. The equations are: Ls = 72.7*[1-e-0.44(t+1.5974)] for males, and Ls = 84.5*[1-e-0.33(t+2.0943)] for females. The equations that describe the growth curve in weight are: Wt = 4991.61*[1-e-0.44 (t+1.5974] 2.70 for males and Wt = 7503.17*[1-e-0.33 (t+2.0943] 2.99 for females.


1995 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
BM Wolf ◽  
RWG White

Growth of the queen scallop, Equichlamys bifrons, was examined at one site in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and two sites in the Huon River estuary (Tasmania) by analysing growth rings on the shell and shell hinge ligament, tagging scallops, and using size-frequency techniques. Regular sampling of scallops revealed that shell growth of E. bifrons is seasonal, commencing in late spring and stopping in late autumn. During the remainder of the year, when the water temperature is below ~13�C, shell growth slows or stops and growth rings are formed on the shell and shell hinge ligament. The growth rings on the shell and hinge ligament of E. bifrons were verified as being annual by studying the growth of marked scallops. Long-term growth patterns were similar for E. bifrons from Middleton (D'Entrecasteaux Channel) and from Deep Bay (Huon River estuary). Tagging data collected over the 1992-93 growing season indicated short-term variation in growth between sites. Size-frequency distributions from Middleton and Deep Bay could not be interpreted because smaller scallops were scarce. Smaller size classes were present at Eggs and Bacon Bay (Huon River estuary) and the size-frequency distribution was resolved into age classes. Reasonable agreement was found between the von Bertalanffy growth parameters obtained from the size frequency, tagging, and growth ring data.


1992 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
FE Hoedt

Age and growth parameters were determined for the tropical anchovy Thryssa aestuaria from northern Queensland, Australia. Larval and juvenile forms of T. aestuaria, believed to be a single cohort recruited in the spring of 1990, were sampled between October 1990 and January 1991. Counts of growth rings in sagittal otoliths were determined for specimens from three of these samples. Comparisons of the different ring counts of fish from successive samples with the number of days elapsed between samples suggested that the growth rings examined were deposited daily. Two specimens of T. aestuaria marked with tetracycline hydrochloride in aquaria were found to deposit growth rings in the sagitta at a rate of one ring per day. Problems associated with reading daily growth rings in tropical anchovies are discussed in light of the results of this study. Growth in T. aestuaria is discussed in relation to reported growth information for other species of tropical anchovies.


1988 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 417 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Davenport ◽  
JD Stevens

The age and growth of Carcharhinus tilstoni and C. sorrah, the two most abundant shark species in commercial gill-net catches off northern Australia, were investigated by the examination of vertebral rings. Corroborating evidence for age and growth estimates was obtained from length-frequency distributions and tag-recapture data. To aid validation of these estimates, tetracycline was injected into sharks at the time of tagging. Growth is relatively rapid in the first year of life: vertebral ageing indicated 17 cm growth in total length (TL) for C. tilstoni and about 20 cm for C. sorrah during the first year after birth. By the time the sharks are 5 years old, growth has declined to 8-10 cm per year in C. tilsoni and 5 cm per year or less in C. sorrah. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters for C. tilstoni are L∞ = 194.2, K = 0.14, t0 = -2.8 for females, and L∞ = 165.4, K = 0.19, t0 = -2.6 for males; for C. sorrah the parameters are L∞ = 123.9, K = 0.34, t0 = -1.9 for females, and L∞ = 98.4, K = 1.17, t0 = -0.6 for males. The greatest recorded ages for C. tilstoni were 12 years for females and 8 years for males, and for C. sorrah, 7 years for females and 5 years for males. Sexual maturity is reached early: at 3 to 4 years in C. tilstoni and 2 to 3 years in female C. sorrah.


2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal T. Geraghty ◽  
William G. Macbeth ◽  
Alastair V. Harry ◽  
Jacqueline E. Bell ◽  
Michelle N. Yerman ◽  
...  

Abstract The removal of large predatory sharks from the world's oceans poses profound threats to marine community structure and species conservation. Effective management of exploited shark stocks requires a sound understanding of the life histories of target species. Here we provide the first assessment of age and growth for Carcharhinus brevipinna in Australian waters, and for C. obscurus and C. plumbeus in eastern Australian waters, based on interpretations of vertebral growth bands. In doing so, we provide arguably among the most robust growth parameters to date for the abovementioned taxa on the bases of genetic validation and sample size and distribution, but acknowledge equally a range of limitations—most notably those associated with vertebral ageing and our lack of age validation. Comparatively, the three species displayed both contrasts and consistencies in their growth characteristics off Australia's southeast coast. For all three sharks, rates of growth were greatest in the years immediately after birth, males grew more rapidly than females in the juvenile phase, and females were observed to grow larger, live longer and were generally larger at any given age. Longevity and all modelled growth parameters (L∞, k and L0), however, differed among the three species, and appeared to challenge the findings for conspecific populations in other parts of the world. The validity of these latter comparisons is, however, compromised by a range of confounding factors. Nevertheless, we provide the least conservative k estimates for C. obscurus and C. plumbeus of those previously reported, and extend maximum age estimates for C. brevipinna. In this way, our results have important implications for the assessment of natural mortality, productivity, and hence resilience to stock depletion, in these species in southeastern Australian waters.


Author(s):  
David K.A. Barnes ◽  
Lloyd S. Peck

Thirty-five specimens of the articulate brachiopod Neorhynchia strebeli were collected from a site at 814 m in the Weddell Sea. This was only the second species of the order Rhynchonellida to be found in Antarctica. Formerly N. strebeli was known solely from abyssal Pacific Ocean localities. A circumantarctic distribution is suggested in addition to the known deep-sea Pacific range. The specimens of this collection showed considerable commissure variation, suggesting that the previously proposed erection of two subspecies on the basis of this character is erroneous, and emphasises the phenotypic plasticity of some articulate brachiopods. The valve lengths and the number of alpha growth rings in the sample showed a normal distribution and a von Bertalanffy growth function was fitted to the data: Lt = 23 (1-exp[-0·228t]). If the alpha growth rings were of annual periodicity, the ages attained by the Antarctic N. strebeli of 11 y would be substantially lower than those reported for other Weddell Sea brachiopods. The epibiotic communities occurring on the valves of N. strebeli were impoverished, which is characteristic of deep water Antarctic brachiopods. The few specimens collected with their substratum were attached to small pebbles, but the typical attachment substrata may be different.


2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Cerna ◽  
Roberto Licandeo

The shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, is a large pelagic shark with a widespread global distribution. However, very little is known about most aspects of this species for the south-eastern Pacific. In the present paper, the age and growth parameters of the shortfin mako, caught by Chilean swordfish longline fisheries from 2004 to 2005, are reported. Ages were estimated by counting band-pairs from sections of vertebral centra from 547 individuals, ranging from 76 to 330 cm in total length (TL). Trends in the proportion of opaque edges for all ages combined and grouped into ages 0–6 and 7–26 years indicated that they are formed during summer and showed that annually, one band-pair is formed in the vertebrae of shortfin makos. Modal-progression analysis was used to verify the first three age classes (ages 0–2 years). For both sexes, the oldest estimated age was 25+ years. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were estimated at L∞ = 325.29 cm TL, K = 0.076 year–1 and t0 = –3.18 years for females and L∞ = 296.60 cm TL, K = 0.087 year–1 and t0 = –3.58 years for males. The results indicated that this species is highly vulnerable to exploitation and, thus, urgent conservation measures are required.


2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Francisco de Nóbrega ◽  
Rosangela Paula Lessa

Age and growth of the king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) were estimated for northeastern Brazil. A total of 405 sagittal otoliths from 140 males (24.4-112 cm), 73 females (28-114.8 cm) and 193 specimens of unknown sex (11.5-121 cm) were examined. Marginal increment analysis indicated an annual pattern for growth band deposition. The age classes ranged from 1 to 15 years. Length ranged from 11.5 to 121 cm. The Schnute model indicated that the von Bertalanffy growth model demonstrated the best adjustment, with p=1/b, and was therefore used for estimating growth. Back-calculated curves had smaller variances, giving the following estimated growth parameters for males: L∞= 116.8 cm, K = 0.190, t0 = 0.377; and females: L∞= 132.7 cm, K = 0.159 and t0 = 0.387. In order to compare the curves for males and females, the overlapping of 95% confidence intervals was performed for the parameters generated from the von Bertalanffy non-linear least square method. Specimens between 3 and 8 years of age represented 82.2% (n=5,783) of the catch composition, characterizing the species as a catchable stock in the region.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa S. Santos ◽  
Marcus R. da Costa ◽  
Francisco G. Araújo

ABSTRACT Studies on age and growth of fish populations have direct application in fisheries and contribute for policies of conservation. Our aim was update information on the Micropogonias furnieri growth parameters based on sagittae otoliths annulis readings, and we expected that the studied population from Southeast Brazil can reach more longevity than the reported in the available literature. We examined 286 individuals between August-2010 and July-2011 from Ubatuba Bay, SP. The Total Length ranged 200-480 mm. The determined growth parameters were: Males, L∞ =523.4mm, k = 0.05×year-1, t0 = -8.78 year; Females L∞ = 573.5mm, k = 0.06 × year-1, t0 = -7.49 year. The MI and % of edge type evidenced the formation of one ring per year during autumn/winter, coinciding with low temperature and low growth rate. These results differed from those reported for the Vazzoler’s Population I (summer), and we detected higher longevity (45-48 years) as compared with the recorded in the available information.


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